How common is the surname Clair?

4,571 people in the United States had the surname Clair in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 67,544 Americans. It ranked 7,292nd of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Clair?

Dick Clair, actor, comedian, writer (1931-1988), followed by Ethlyne Clair.

Where is the surname Clair most common?

Wikidata records people named Clair in the United States.

Is the surname Clair getting more or less common?

More common. 4,520 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 4,571 in 2010, up 1.1%.

Is Clair also a first name?

Yes. Clair is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Clair

A surname, carried by 4,571 people in the United States.

1 syllable Soundex C460 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Clair is more common than 95.5% of them.

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 4,571 people named Clair in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 67,544 Americans. That is up 1.1% since 2000, when the Census counted 4,520.

#7,292

rank among US surnames

4,571

people in 2010

1.6

per 100,000 Americans

+1.1%

change since 2000 (was #6,858)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#7,284	Swick	4,574	67,500
#7,287	Mariani	4,573	67,515
#7,291	Wortman	4,572	67,530
#7,292	Clair	4,571	67,544
#7,293	Via	4,570	67,559
#7,295	Weitzel	4,569	67,574

Who is named Clair

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

83% of people named Clair identified as white (not Hispanic), 10% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.2% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 83%
Black (not Hispanic) 10%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.2%
Two or more races 1.9%
Asian and Pacific Islander 1.8%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.7%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Clairs

2 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Dick Clair
Actor, comedian, writer (1931-1988)
Ethlyne Clair
American actress (1904-1996)

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Clair

Clair has the Soundex code C460, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code C460.

Questions

How common is the surname Clair?: 4,571 people in the United States had the surname Clair in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 67,544 Americans. It ranked 7,292nd of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Clair?: In the 2010 Census, 83% of people named Clair identified as white (not Hispanic), and 10% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Clair?: Dick Clair, actor, comedian, writer (1931-1988), followed by Ethlyne Clair.
Where is the surname Clair most common?: Wikidata records people named Clair in the United States.
Is the surname Clair getting more or less common?: More common. 4,520 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 4,571 in 2010, up 1.1%.
Is Clair also a first name?: Yes. Clair is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.